Aircraft carrier jobs hope

The Ark Royal is set to be replaced by the new carriers

The debate over whether the owner of the Barrow shipyard should build the Navy's new aircraft carriers continues on Monday.

The government is expected to make an announcement on the £3bn ships in the next few days.

The current concerns about mass job losses at the Barrow shipyard would be allayed if its owner, BAE Systems, wins the work to build the next generation of aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

The government has insisted there is competition by bringing in the French consortium Thales, and both it and BAE has submitted bids to carry out the work.

Local politicians

Early in January managers at BAE Systems in Barrow said layoffs of at least 500 people were likely because of a gap in the order books.

Work on the landing assault ships Albion and Bulwark is due to finish by the end of 2003, but construction does not start on the next batch of orders immediately afterwards.

And last week the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon provoked outrage by saying that BAE Systems was also "not British".

The two bids will be debated on Monday at the Parliamentary Maritime Group - which brings together MPs, Lords, and members of the European Parliament.

Harry Knowles, the Chief Executive of Furness Enterprise, will lead the fight for BAE Systems, supported by local politicians.